Tourist Scams Marrakech

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Tourist Scams in Marrakech: How to Avoid Them

This is Dan of Vagabond Buddha. Above is my video about tourist scams in Marrakech and how to avoid them. Life will be much easier if you watch this tourist scams in Marrakech before you arrive.

Depending on what country you come from, the following behavior may not be unusual or offensive to you. If you grew up in a culture like this, you will wonder why I am bothering to state the obvious. I do not intend to insult anyone here. We are all creatures of the environment that we grew up in. We often don’t even understand why people from another culture are offended by our behavior. There are ways we act in the west that completely offend the people here. This is intended only to be educational for people coming to this culture for the first time. We are just trying to educate people who have not experienced the following behavior. People tried the following behaviors, 1 to 4 on us, while we were in Marrakech for 7 days. Only Taxi scam 4 below worked on us–we lost 5 Dm ($0.50 USD).

Scam 1–Undisclosed Intention

Tout’s Approach: “Sir/Miss, what are you looking for?” “I have lived here all my life and I know where everything is.” Tout: “In British English, a tout is any person who solicits business or employment in a persistent and annoying manner.” Wikipedia

Tout’s Actual Intention:  Attempt to spend as much time as possible talking with you, ‘helping’ you and then will ask you for money because they were your ‘guide’.  Attempt to get you to buy something at their friend’s store so they can make a commission.

Problem: The Tout never tells you their actual intention. They are acting like a good Samaritan. Yet, their hidden intention is to be your employee without obtaining your advanced consent. A Tout will not mention any payment to them until they have rendered some service already. It is a relationship built on guilt instead of communication. If you fall for it, they will ask for payment as your guide. Even if you decide to pay them, many will complain and argue with you for up to an hour in some cases about how you are cheap and have underpaid them. They may even insult you and try to ruin your day. Whatever it takes to extract the maximum amount possible. They can turn a lovely day into a negative mess.

Cultural Perspective: They grew up in this world. They think what they are doing is normal and reasonable. And in truth, it is normal here. But it will not feel normal to you. It will feel like you are being taken advantage of. You will feel scammed.

Best Solution: Walk on as if you don’t even see or hear them. Don’t make eye contact. Whatever language they are speaking, even if English or another you know, pretend you don’t hear or understand a word they are saying. Use Google maps to find whatever you are looking for and never acknowledge their existence, never get angry, don’t even make a face, just keep walking around them. They will just think you can’t understand whatever language(s) they are speaking to you. They may suspect you understand them but they just can’t be sure. They may have stalked you first and know what language you speak, but you have no obligation to play their game. You are a free person. Just ignore them without comment or anger.

Ineffective Solution: Speak to them. “I am fine, no thank you.” Try to convince them that you don’t need their help. “No thank you.” As soon as you say one word to them, you have employed them. They will keep talking and walking with you. They will keep asking questions about where you are from and how long you are in town. Have you seen this place or that? What would you like to see next? By speaking to them you have invited them into your life, involuntarily. They will never leave until you bribe them. After all, in their culture, they have entertained you for 10 minutes, you owe them something, right? If you open your mouth and speak to them, you might think you are being reasonable and polite, but you are unlikely to receive the sort of politeness you expect at home returned to you here. Politeness has a different test here. The locals know the polite thing is not to engage them and take their time. If you open the door to conversation, you will wish you hadn’t. Even if you bribe them to go away, there will be another one right around the corner. The sooner you realize how to be polite in this new environment, the less of everyone’s time you will waste.

Scam 2–Lying

Tout’s Approach: “Sir/Mam, stop, stop!” “You can’t walk that way!” “The footpath/road is closed for repairs.” “You have to go this way today.” “Come with me, I will show you another way.” “Just tell me where you are going.” Variations: “Stop, it is dangerous down that street.” “Someone got attacked down there yesterday.” “Be careful down that street, there is an angry dog.” “The main square is this way, Sir.”

Tout’s Actual Intention: Get you talking to them. Take you on another path to the same place you are headed. Try to get you to buy something along the way to get a commission. Try to be your ‘guide’ for the day (or for a moment) and get a fee at the end. Worst case, they are trying to isolate you for a more deviant purpose.

Problem: They are lying to you. The roads and footpaths in Marrakech are almost never closed. When road repairs are made, they split the path in half and work on one side at a time. The Tout’s actual intention remains unknown. They might be trying to get a ‘guides’ fee from you, but in very rare cases, they may be trying to isolate you for more deviant purposes. You just don’t know. And the fact that they are lying to you is a bad omen for their true intentions.

Cultural Perspective: They grew up in this world. They think what they are doing is normal and reasonable. It is normal here.
You are the weird one here. You are the uneducated one.

Solution: Walk on as if you don’t even see or hear them. Whatever language they are speaking, even if English or one you know, you don’t understand a word they are saying. Use Google maps to find whatever you are looking for and never acknowledge their existence, never get angry, keep walking around them. They will just think you can’t understand whatever language(s) they are speaking to you. They may suspect you understand them but they just can’t be sure.

Licensed Guide–not a scam

There are actually licensed guides walking about. They often have a robe, and a government ‘guide license’ hanging from their neck on a string. They are well spoken, educated, and polite people.

Problem: If they are a licensed guide, there is no problem.

Solution: They will tell you before another step–they are a licensed guide. They will tell you their fees. You can strike a bargain with them and they will keep their word about the amount to be paid by the hour or by the tour. They will ask nothing more at the end. There will be no surprises or begging at the end. They will smile, take the money you are promised at the end of the tour, and go. They may still take you to a friend’s shop or two and may even get an additional commision if you buy.

Scam 3–Blocking Your Path

Rude Restaurant Salespeople (in the main square especially): “Sir/Mam, please take a look at my menu.” They will try to stand in front of you, block your path. “Look at the beautiful display of food we have for you.” As you try to walk around them, they will keep walking in front of you trying to move you like sheep into their restaurant. “Come into my restaurant and check out our beautiful food, we have this, that, the other thing.” I don’t have a problem with people talking to me or trying to hand me a menu to look at. But when they intentionally walk in front of me and try to block my path, that is a problem.

Intention: Wear you down and force you into their restaurant to eat their overpriced food. If they really had great food at a fair price, would they need to force people into their restaurant? They are paid a percentage of whatever you spend at the restaurant. They don’t own the restaurant, they will not serve you, they don’t even work there. They are just being paid to force you into the restaurant.

Problem: There are actual restaurants just a few blocks off the square where locals are eating for half the price. And the food in the square is not as good, not even close. If you pay these restaurants to be rude to you, by eating there, you are not only encouraging this behavior, but you are letting real restaurants with real food that sells at fair prices, to make less money. You are paying double for the entertainment of being treated poorly.

Cultural Perspective: They grew up in this world. They think what they are doing is normal and reasonable. It is normal here.

Solution 1: Tap your belly as if to say, I am full. But never say a word. Their power comes from knowing what language you speak.

Solution 2: Walk on as if you don’t even see or hear them. Whatever language they are speaking, even if English or one you know, you don’t understand a word they are saying. Just walk around them, keep shifting right or left, until you get around them.

Ineffective Solution: Ask to see their menu and then tell them you want to look around first before deciding where to eat. They will keep blocking you, or let you through them and their buddy will be right behind them with another menu.

Exception: The escargot in the square and the juices in the square are priced fairly.

Scam 4–Taxi Scam–No Change

They will quote you a fair price to go somewhere, but upon arrival, they won’t have change for whatever bill you give them.

Solution: Negotiate the price first, then negotiate the note exchange before you get in the taxi. “You say 40 Dm to go there, but I only have a 100 Dm bill.” “Do you have 60 Dm in change with you now, to give me in return for my 100 Dm bill upon arrival?” Don’t get in the taxi until they say they have the 40 Dm change. Finally, once you arrive, use an exchange of notes technique. Keep your 100 Dm note in your hand until they show their exact change in their hand, then do an exchange of notes.  Don’t feel bad. A local taught me this exchange idea.  Cultural Perspective: They grew up in this world. They think what they are doing is normal and reasonable. It is normal here.

Scam 5–Taxi Scam–Meter is Fake/Fixed/Wrong

You will ask for a fixed price. But they won’t quote you a price. They will say taxis are metered by law. If you get in the taxi, the meter will run mysteriously fast. You will owe 3 to 5 times what you expected upon arrival. Plus, when you try to pay, they somehow won’t have change for the bill you give them. Solution: Ask what is the maximum amount it will cost to go there by the meter? They will say they don’t know at first. Don’t get in the taxi. They will eventually give you a maximum amount the meter will charge. Then reply, “That is all I will pay.” “If the meter is 1 Dm more, do you agree to pay out of your own pocket?” Don’t get in the taxi until they agree on a maximum with you. But wait, still don’t get in the taxi. Then say, “You say the maximum will be 80 Dm, but I only have a 100 Dm note.” “Do you have 20 Dm in change with you now, to give me in return for my 100 Dm bill upon arrival?” Don’t get in the taxi until they say they have the change.

Scam 6–Taxi Scam–Driving in Circles

The meter is not tampered with as in the previous Taxi Scam. But they just drive around until the bill is much higher than usual. Solution: Same as the previous Taxi Scam. Fix the maximum meter cost and bill-change requirements before getting in the taxi.

Scam 7–Pickpockets

They will empty your pockets (front and back) and you won’t feel anything. This is real. I am not kidding.

Solutions:  There is nothing in any of your pockets front or back unless you are donating them to the local pickpocket charity.  Zippers on pockets won’t protect you.

Camera should be in your hand, not in your pocket.  Camera should be in your hand, not on a camera strap.  Camera should be in your hand, not in a camera bag.  Smartphone is in your other hand.

Money, passport, credit cards, and cash:  1. Place in a small backpack on your chest, not your back. Place the valuables deep down inside at the bottom under other things, and the zipper to get them out should be no more than 6 inches below your eyes. Don’t put the backpack down or on the chair next to you. It stays on your chest or goes on your lap when you sit down to eat, or 2. Place in a money belt.

Other scams

Not all of the scams are listed above. These are just the ones that are likely to be new to some tourists. All the scams and crimes you find at home or in any large city in the world can still be played on you here. There are too many to list. Humans are creative animals.

If you get hit with another scam while you are in Marrakech, comment below so others don’t fall for it after you.

I started living internationally over 11 years ago. If you would like to learn how to make money online, or how to live internationally possibly with less money than you spend at home, please subscribe to Vagabond Buddha, our YouTube Channel or get a free copy of my Ebook.

This is Dan of Vagabond Buddha. Thank you for stopping by. The world is your home. What time will you be home for dinner?